San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG) is honored to be named a 2020 winner of the City of Encinitas Environmental Commission’s prestigious Environmental Award Program (EAP). The City of Encinitas recognized SDBG for its Excellence in Environmental Stewardship among non-profit organizations, noting that the Garden is “the preeminent plant conservation institute in the region, and one of the most important botanic gardens in the country.”
Among its many achievements in 2020, SDBG’s world class plant conservation and education programs restored 15 acres of natural area bordering Encinitas’s Cottonwood Creek Park (more information available here); carried out 165 wild plant collections in San Diego County; educated over 1,000 local students through field trips and formal classroom support targeting underserved schools; collected more than 20,000 seeds from native endangered species for long-term conservation in seed banks; and supported genetic sequencing of nine of the 11 species in the ocotillo family, desert plant plants native to southern California and the surrounding region.
“We couldn’t be prouder of receiving the Encinitas Environmental Award,” said SDBG President and CEO, Ari Novy, PhD. “San Diego Botanic Garden is proud of work we do every day to steward the environment, save plants, and educate everyone about the wonders of nature.”
The Garden will receive its award at the Encinitas City Council meeting on Wednesday, April 14, in honor of Earth Day, April 22. The Environmental Commission established the EAP in 2015 to recognize deserving individuals, businesses, and non-profits for their commitment to environmental stewardship and outstanding environmental achievements.
